Method for locking an artificial facet between two vertebral bodies

1. A method of inserting an intra-facet bone screw into a facet joint between a superior articular surface of an inferior vertebral body and an inferior articular surface of a superior vertebral body, said method comprising:

inserting a threaded shaft of a bone screw into the facet joint between the superior articular surface of the inferior vertebral body and the inferior articular surface of the superior vertebra so that the threaded shaft of the bone screw partially engages the superior and inferior articular surfaces, a longitudinal axis of the bone screw being substantially aligned with and located between the superior articular surface of the inferior vertebral body and the inferior articular surface of the superior vertebral body.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bone screw is cannulated; and

said inserting comprises inserting said threaded shaft of said bone screw into the facet joint using an aiming wire.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

said bone screw has a screw head with a larger diameter than said threaded shaft; and

said inserting comprises inserting said threaded shaft of said bone screw into the facet joint until said screw head touches bone.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said inserting is performed on right and left sides of a vertebral column in a single surgical procedure.

5. A method of inserting an intra-facet bone screw into an articular facet joint gap between superior and inferior articular processes of two vertebral bodies of a patient's spine, the method comprising the steps of:

a) inserting a portion of an aiming wire into the articular facet joint gap;

b) inserting the intra-facet bone screw into the facet joint gap, the intra-facet bone screw being inserted into the facet joint gap between the superior articular process of an inferior vertebra and the inferior articular process of a superior vertebra such that an externally threaded shaft of the intra-facet bone screw partially engages the superior articular process of the inferior vertebra and the inferior articular process of the superior vertebra, a longitudinal axis of the intra-facet bone screw being substantially aligned with and located between the superior articular process of the inferior vertebra and the inferior articular process of the superior vertebra; and

c) removing the aiming wire from the facet joint gap.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the intra-facet bone screw is percutaneously inserted into the facet joint gap in step (b).

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of:

d) placing a mark on a patient's skin to identify an articulating plane of the facet joint gap; and

e) forming a bilateral skin incision at the mark.

8. The method of claim 5 comprising the further step of:

d) inserting a trocar at least partially into the facet joint gap prior to step (a).

9. The method of claim 5 wherein the facet joint gap is prepared prior to step (a) with a drill bit.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein the intra-facet bone screw is inserted in step (b) until a head portion of the intra-facet bone screw touches bone adjacent the facet joint gap.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising the further step of:

(d) placing an anti-rotation element over the head portion of the intra-facet bone screw.

12. The method of claim 5 comprising the further step of:

(d) verifying placement of the intra-facet bone screw with an image identifier prior to step (c).

13. The method of claim 5 , wherein said inserting is performed on right and left sides of a vertebral column in a single surgical procedure.